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Any manager will tell you that, in sport, it is all about focusing on yourself.

Don't get overly worried about what other teams are doing.

Certainly at this stage of the season, with another 36 games to go before the end of the Championship campaign in May, Burton Albion will not be taking too much notice of other results in the division.

No side in the bottom seven lost at the weekend, while only two of the entire bottom half - Millwall and Forest - were beaten.

That is some statistic - and there were some notable scalps in there.

Basement side Bolton Wanderers got their first win of the campaign by beating perennial promotion hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham City defeated then-top-of-the-table Cardiff City, and Barnsley held Middlesbrough to a 2-2 draw.

Bolton got their first win of the season at the weekend (Image: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Just as Albion did when shocking Fulham at the Pirelli Stadium last month, some of the other sides battling to stay above the early-season drop zone have proved their ability to compete with any team in this division.

And therein lies its unpredictability and its competitiveness.

It is why the second tier of English football continues to be such a fascinating competition, and why Burton's achievement of staying up last season remains so startlingly impressive.

Teams cannot rely on relegation rivals to slip up against higher-placed opposition. Never trust the fixture list to bring you comfort as a football fan.

The Brewers know that very well. Some might have thought their survival in 2016/17 was done and dusted after a 2-1 victory over Leeds United on April 22 left them six points clear of the drop with only six points to play for.

But, as we now know, they would have been playing League One football right now had they not gone and drawn at Barnsley a week later, with the sides below them making spirited late pushes and clinching some impressive results to ensure Burton survived by only a single point.

Clough has pointed out that, perhaps even more so than last season, Albion's Championship future this time around is likely to rely on how they fare against the teams battling with them to survive, because the sides at the top are of such quality, with many having spent big for a shot at the top flight.